Patentable/Patents/US-8743273
US-8743273

Imaging device and solid-state imaging device

PublishedJune 3, 2014
Assigneenot available in USPTO data we have
Inventorsnot available in USPTO data we have
Technical Abstract

A row scanning unit activates a synchronous curtain shutter mode in which pixel reset scan is performed and exposure of the imaging area is started by the pixel reset scan and is ended by light shielding by a mechanical curtain shutter, the pixel reset scan meaning that scan on a row-by-row basis is performed on pixel reset in which the photodiodes are reset by turning on the transfer transistors and a corresponding reset transistor, wherein in the mechanical curtain synchronous shutter mode, the pixel reset scan according to the traveling characteristics of the mechanical curtain shutter is performed, and the pixel reset scan includes performing a pixel reset operation simultaneously on the unit cells of different rows.

Patent Claims
6 claims

Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.

1

1. A solid-state imaging device comprising: an imaging area in which a plurality of unit cells are arranged in rows and columns; and a row scanning unit configured to perform pixel reset scan and pixel readout scan in the imaging area on a row-by-row basis, wherein each of the unit cells includes: two or more photodiodes each of which converts incident light into electric charges; a floating diffusion unit configured to hold the electric charges; a transfer transistor which is provided in correspondence with the two or more photodiodes and transfers the electric charges from the photodiodes to the floating diffusion unit; and a reset transistor which resets electric potential of the floating diffusion unit, wherein, in each of the unit cells, the two or more photodiodes share the reset transistor and the floating diffusion unit, the row scanning unit is configured to activate a mechanical curtain synchronous shutter mode in which pixel reset scan is performed and exposure of the imaging area is started by the pixel reset scan and is ended by light shielding by a mechanical curtain shutter, the pixel reset scan meaning that scan on a row-by-row basis is performed on pixel reset in which the photodiodes are reset by turning on the transfer transistor and a corresponding reset transistor, in the mechanical curtain synchronous shutter mode, the pixel reset scan is performed according to traveling characteristics of the mechanical curtain shutter, and the pixel reset scan includes performing a pixel reset operation simultaneously on the unit cells of different rows.

2

2. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein in the mechanical curtain synchronous shutter mode, the row scanning unit is configured to: avoid simultaneously turning on the transfer transistor and an other transfer transistor included in the unit cell; and simultaneously turn on transfer transistors in unit cells of different rows.

3

3. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 2 , further comprising a first register group which holds a number of rows in which the pixel reset is to be simultaneously performed and a row address in which the number of rows is changed, wherein in the mechanical curtain synchronous shutter mode, the row scanning unit is configured to perform the pixel reset scan according to the number of rows and the row address that are written into the first register group.

4

4. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 3 , further comprising a second register group which holds a pulse width with which the pixel reset is performed and a row address in which the pulse width is changed, wherein in the mechanical curtain synchronous shutter mode, the row scanning unit is configured to perform the pixel reset scan according to the pulse width and the row address that are written into the second register group.

5

5. The solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 , wherein in the mechanical curtain synchronous shutter mode, the row scanning unit is configured to perform the pixel reset scan such that in a simultaneous pixel reset operation on unit cells of different rows, rising timing and falling timing of a reset pulse signal to the unit cells of the different rows match and rising timing and falling timing of a transfer pulse signal to the unit cells of the different rows match.

6

6. An imaging device comprising: a mechanical curtain shutter; and the solid-state imaging device according to claim 1 .

Classification Codes (CPC)

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Patent Metadata

Filing Date

August 22, 2012

Publication Date

June 3, 2014

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Cite as: Patentable. “Imaging device and solid-state imaging device” (US-8743273). https://patentable.app/patents/US-8743273

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